


The Gumboots And The Wasp

by FictionalWorldsAreExquisite



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Humor, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, TECHNICALLY they get hurt but it's so small it barely counts, Tony Stark Is Not Helping, Tony is a fucking idiot, i wish dumbassery was a tag that's honestly the best way to describe this, peter is significantly less of an idiot, the wasp in this story is not Hope. srry. just a bitch ass bee knockoff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21589201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalWorldsAreExquisite/pseuds/FictionalWorldsAreExquisite
Summary: Tony and Pepper had taken Peter up to a cabin of theirs for the weekend while May was out of town. When planning on wandering through the forest, Tony tells Peter to put on a pair of gumboots he has laying around since they're better footwear than what Peter has. Except the boots aren't exactly empty.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 13
Kudos: 77
Collections: ellie marvel fics - read





	The Gumboots And The Wasp

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off a true story that happened to me and a friend when we were like, 10/11 years old, and obviously Tony and Peter are older but it still seemed perfect for them. it was Pepper's turn with the brain cell that night okay, they were a little out of intelligence.
> 
> i edited this but i also have a headache (i swear i've written that on all my stories lately, it's just going into summer, that always gives me way more headaches, it'll pass) so you know. mistakes may be present. also the only reason i chuck these stories into 'teen and up' is just the swearing. like i don't know how to rate on here so you know i just play it safe.
> 
> also i'm genuinely unsure if gumboots is like a universal name or if this is another thing like jandals where y'all call them 50 other things. if it is not universal or if you're like tf is a gumboot? google i guess. if u specifically google taihape gumboot and click on images u will see a fun surprise !! i was never very good at the gumboot throwing competitions we held at school on guy fawkes night. in my defence, i was a tiny child at the time.  
> edit: i have learnt the name rain boots so perhaps you'll know that better idk

Tony gestured towards some gumboots he had sitting outside his small cabin. “Put those on, kid. They’re better than your footwear and should fit you, might be a little big though. Should’ve warned you that you’d need more sturdy shoes, sorry, Pete.” They were planning on wandering the forest surrounding the cabin a bit because Peter had asked to and Tony wasn’t about to let him get lost. Still, you needed proper footwear to do that.

“Oh, it’s okay, Mr. Stark! I don’t mind.” Tony watched as Peter untied his shoes and slipped them off, carefully putting them to the side of the deck before moving to put a socked foot in the right gumboot only to yank it out immediately with a yelp. 

“What’s wrong?” Was there like, a rodent that had taken up residence in there? Maybe some cold water had gathered from the rain last night? It’d been awhile since he wore them, maybe some dirt or leaves or something had built up.

“I, I felt like something stung me, maybe! I don’t know! It hurt!” Peter didn’t seem too hurt, just mildly shocked like he wasn’t expecting it so it couldn’t have been too bad.

“Huh.” Weird, wonder what would’ve caused that? Tony walked over and stuck his foot in the same boot only to yank it immediately back out, reacting almost identically to Peter. “Damn. Definitely a sting.” Kid was on the right track there.

Tony grabbed the boot and started tipping it upside down, “here, let me just…” he shook it to try and make whatever was in it fall out. Eventually, a slightly stunned wasp fell out. “Oh, well there you have it, kid. Just a wasp.” Tony squished it with the boot. “Nothing we want hanging around. Anyway, how about we get you inside and put something on that sting, huh?”

When there was no answer, Tony turned around and found Peter with his mouth open, staring at him in shock. “What’s wrong?” Damn, his foot was kind of starting to throb. Wait, shit. “Kid, are you allergic to wasp stings or something? Seriously, tell me right now if I need to get you medical attention.”

Peter seemed to snap out of it and cleared his throat, “no, uh, no. Not allergic. Just, uh, a little shocked.”

“Oh, well. I’m sure you didn’t expect that coming. It’s understandable. Anyway, let’s go inside now, I’ll grab Pepper and she’ll grab us something to sort it out.” He put his hand behind Peter’s back and started to gently push him back inside.

They’d barely even gotten a step before Peter just stopped and refused to move. “That’s, uh, not what I’m shocked about, Mr. Stark.” He wasn’t making eye contact either with Tony either.

“What? Don’t tell me something else happened while I was looking away. I had my eyes on you like, ninety percent of the time! I just turned my back briefly!” Still, Peter had some interesting luck.

“No no. I’m fine. Well, my foot hurts a bit. But you’re entirely missing the point.”

“Alright then, do share the point so we can get inside quicker. I’d like to put some ice on this as soon as possible.” Maybe some vinegar if they had any of that here too.

Peter turned to look him directly in the eyes. “That’s the point! Mr. Stark! Why the _hell_ would you stick your foot in after me when I just said something stung me?! I think the logical thing to do at that point is to just shake whatever’s in the boot, out of it!” Peter was breathing heavily, like he was really worked up over it.

And dammit, he had a point. A really fucking good point. Why the fuck did he stick his foot in? Who does that? Idiots do that! What the hell was wrong with him? Still, he couldn’t let the kid know that. “Uh...science. You know. You need to repeat the experiment multiple times to ensure that your data is correct and not a weird outlier and look, you did it once, I did it twice, we confirmed there was something in there and we acted on it.” Tony had told a lot of lies in his life but that just might be the shittiest one that had ever left his mouth.

Clearly Peter knew it as well because he was giving him the most unimpressed look Tony had ever seen from him. “Bullshit.” Oh and apparently he had the nerve to call him out on it too.

Tony sighed and shifted to stand directly in front of Peter, putting his hands on his shoulders, looking right into his eyes, “listen, Pete. Sometimes I just...do things that not even God can explain. It’s best not to question it. Okay?”

Peter shrugged, pushing Tony’s hands off his shoulders in the process, “okay then. You can tell Pepper why you got stung too.”

Tony paused. Fuck. Did he really need to treat it? It’s just a wasp sting. He’d experienced far worse. He’d live without some ice or some vinegar, whatever the hell they had out here in the cabin. He could just...modify the truth. “So here’s the plan, you don’t tell Pepper I got stung, we omit that part in the story and everyone’s happy. Okay?”

Peter gave him an unreadable look and then a shit-eating grin. “Whatever you say, Mr. Stark.”

Somehow, Tony knew he wasn’t going to like what happened next but before he could say anything, Peter was moving quickly into the cabin, limping slightly to avoid standing on the spot where he got stung. Tony followed afterwards in the same fashion but quickly remembered his lie and deliberately start walking on the stung spot, no matter how much it hurt.

Tony reached the entrance to the living room in time to see Pepper getting up from her seat on the couch, walking towards Peter in concern. “What’s going on, sweetie? Is something wrong?”

Peter nodded, “wasp sting.”

Pepper’s face morphed into one of understanding, “alright, we’ve got some ice here and some vinegar, I think. Where’s Tony?”

Peter pointed towards the doorway where Tony still hadn’t moved from and Pepper turned to look at him. “Tony, can you see what we have in the kitchen?”

Tony smiled although he was dying a little inside at the thought of continuing to move around. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

He walked normally until he was out of view then went straight into limping and cursing slightly. Maybe this was a bad plan. Luckily for Peter they did have vinegar. He grabbed an ice pack and a tea towel to bring back as well.

Peter and Pepper were sitting on the couch watching him as he came back in. “Everything okay still?”

Pepper narrowed her eyes, “anything you want to tell me?”

“Uh...yeah, actually. Luckily for Peter we do have-”

“Tony.”

Dammit, she knew. How did she know? “Peter! You said you wouldn’t say anything!”

“He didn’t. I simply asked if you’d been stung too and Peter said he couldn’t answer that which clearly means you did.”

Peter shrugged, “I never said yes.” Next time he’d have to be more specific, clearly.

Tony sighed and sat down next to Pepper, passing the things he had over to her. “So maybe I did. But it’s fine. It just...flew out at me.”

“Flew out at the underneath of your foot? The one you’re limping on? Your right foot, the same side as Peter’s sting?”

Tony’s eyes flicked to Peter then back to Pepper, “basically.”

Pepper turned back to Peter and wrapped the ice pack in the tea towel before pushing it against Peter’s foot gently but firmly. “Alright, Peter, rest that against the couch so it stays there. Now, full story, full truth.”

Peter’s shit-eating grin returned, “you know, it was the weirdest thing. I stuck my foot in the right gumboot and suddenly felt a sharp pain so I yanked my foot out, obviously, and explained what I felt to Mr. Stark. His automatic response was to stick his foot in to see what I meant and long story short, that’s how we both ended up getting stung by a wasp.”

Tony watched as Pepper turned back to him, wearing her special ‘how could you be so stupid’ expression that was only ever aimed at Tony. “In my defence, I shook it afterwards and the wasp fell out. And I killed it!”

“Afterwards,” Peter emphasised.

“Shut up,” Tony hissed.

Pepper hit him gently, “be nice, you’re the idiot here.”

“C’mon, that’s a little harsh. I’ve been stung by a wasp, have pity and help me.”

Pepper stared at him, face unchanging. “No, I don’t think I will. Help yourself.”

Peter snickered and Tony turned to glare at him over Pepper’s shoulder. 

Pepper continued, “I have someone here who actually deserves my help.”

“Really? You’re choosing Peter over me?”

“Are you asking for a lecture on how stupid your actions were?”

“Nope. No. It’s fine. I’ll just, go get my own ice pack. Hope you feel better soon, Pete.” And he did hope that...kind of...just not too soon.

Pepper nodded, seemingly satisfied, “good.”

Tony narrowed his eyes and went back to glaring at Peter the second Pepper turned away from him again. Peter met his gaze and stretched his hands up above him, bringing them down on the back of the couch, looking awfully relaxed and like a cat that had just got the cream.

This kid was the worst. He started limping back to the kitchen for his own ice pack. Okay...maybe this was _kind of_ on him. But only slightly! Like...seventy percent. Now he just had to get them to promise not to tell anyone else, if it wasn’t already too late.

**Author's Note:**

> I WOULD LIKE TO ESTABLISH THAT IN THIS SCENARIO I WAS THE ONE THAT STUCK MY FOOT IN THE BOOT FIRST, MY FRIEND WAS THE DUMBASS THAT STUCK HER FOOT IN AFTER I CLEARLY GOT HURT BY SOMETHING. her parents found it fucking hysterical. we did not end up going spotlighting that night. probably for the best. i don't think i would've liked spotlighting much. hence why i made this tony and peter were just going to wander in the forest because that's totally not weird at all
> 
> i realise america has snakes and i think that means you normally check your shoes first if they've been outside (at least, i heard that somewhere. maybe that only applies to aus) but nz doesn't have snakes so i just made them react like that wasn't a possibility, oops?
> 
> my tumblr is fictional-worlds-are-exquisite if anyone is curious


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